heritage happenings · retrospective commemoration of those historical organizations. the estimated...
TRANSCRIPT
Many individuals and
organizations are stepping
up with generous
donations to help us
Restore the Past for the
Future (see page four).
Please consider joining
them! Soon we will be
announcing Phase Two of
our Ceremony Hall Art
Restoration Project.
On May 18th Friends
board members and those
(Continued on page 3)
Wow! That was my
reaction as I walked into
Ceremony Hall on Friday,
May 18th, to see how it
looked in preparation for
our big party on May 20th.
I'm afraid no photograph
can capture the essence of
how bright and glowing the
Phase One area looks in
comparison with the rest
of the hall. We were
delighted that about 120
people accepted our
invitation to "Join Us Under
the Dome" that Sunday
afternoon, including our
Alderman, Margaret
Laurino, and Chuck
Hagopian, staff member
for Judy Baar Topinka,
Illinois State Comptroller
and long-time BNC
supporter. Now cleaned
and restored, the golden
portions of the area
absolutely seem to shine as
if they were lit from
behind!
What’s New with Friends of BNC
Heritage Happenings Newsletter of Friends of Bohemian National Cemetery
Mission Statement:
Promote the
historical significance,
enhance the beauty,
and preserve the
artistic heritage of
Bohemian National
Cemetery
Inside this issue:
Officers 2
from the editor’s laptop 2
New Members 2
The Significance of
Restoring the Past for
the Future
3
Donations 4
Restoring the Past for
the Future Campaign
4
Available Now! 5
Upcoming Events at
BNC
5
Czech TV at BNC 6
Děkuji Vám 6
Live from BNC 7
Friends of BNC Summer
Meeting
8
Summer Issue ~ Vol. 9 No. 1 July 2012 carol jean smetana, editor
Vision:
Create an appreciation of
BNC in local, national,
and international
audiences
Phase One is Done ! On May 20th we
celebrated the completion
of the first phase of the
Ceremony Hall Art
Restoration Project. Friends
of BNC raised more than
$20,000 to augment the
$9737.50 matching grant we
received from the National
Trust for Historic
Preservation Cynthia
Woods Mitchell Fund for
Historic Interiors. Tony
Kartsonas, founder of
Historic Surfaces LLC,
began the work on this
phase – a study to assess
the condition of the
decorative painting in the
Hall and establish a protocol
for its restoration and
preservation – on
November 1, 2011.
completed Phase One section ~ photograph by Kathy Mallin
Bohemian National
Cemetery contracted
Moravian-born painter John
A. Mallin to decorate the
Ceremony Hall in the newly
constructed crematorium
building in 1918. Mallin was
hired several more times
over the next 30 years to
redo and refresh his original
work, giving him an
unusual opportunity to
reinterpret his own décor.
Mallin last worked on the
Ceremony Hall in 1947,
and since then his work
remained untouched, a
true treasure because it
was not altered or
destroyed.
(Continued on page 4)
Heritage Happenings is published
quarterly by Friends of Bohemian
National cemetery, a 501(c)(3)
charitable organization.
Manuscripts, articles,
photographs, and advertisements
for Heritage Happenings may be
submitted to carol jean smetana,
167 County Road A4A, Sapello,
NM 87745-5026 or emailed to
her at [email protected].
Copyright 2012 by Friends of
Bohemian National Cemetery
Heritage Happenings
Heritage Happenings Page 2
I hope you all saw the profile the Chicago Tribune
published on April 20th of our “Remarkable Woman,” our
president Marge Sladek Stueckemann. (There is a link to the
article on our Friends website.) We’re grateful to the
anonymous person who nominated Marge for the series. As
always, Marge proved to be a passionate spokesperson for our organization
and our cause: as a direct result of the article, we received membership
requests and donations.
William Hageman, the journalist who wrote the profile, asked Marge if
there were any ghost stories associated with Bohemian National Cemetery,
and she replied: “We’re a funerary museum of art and history. We’re not
looked at as a creepy place. It’s a garden. Come here and be inspired.” And
that is why so many of us have joined Friends of BNC: we are awed by the
cemetery’s art, we are intrigued by its history, we appreciate its serene beauty,
and we are inspired every time we enter its gates.
There was so much to share with you this quarter, including news about
our successful Under the Dome event and an update about our Restore the
Past for the Future campaign, that there was no room for a “Stories of the
Stones” article, but I hope to bring it back in the next issue. If you’re
disappointed the feature is missing, I have good news for you. You don’t have
to wait three months for another stone story. You can order today our new
book, A Dear and Precious Heritage: Bohemian National Cemetery, Chicago,
Illinois. In it you’ll find a history of the cemetery’s early years, information
about the buildings and public monuments, interesting stories about people
buried at BNC, and lots of color photos. It is a testament to our cemetery,
which Marge described so well. I’ve spent a hectic past few months readying
the book for publication, and it’s wonderful to be able to write that we expect it
to arrive from the printer the week of 16 July. You can find an order form on
page five. I think you’ll be inspired!
Na shledanou!
carol jean smetana
President: Marge Sladek
Stueckemann
Vice-President: Andy Bultas
Secretary: Helen Gaydusek
Treasurer: Juli Nelson
Directors:
Martha & Charles Cervenka,
Evelyn Krenek Fergle
Grants Chair: Andy Bultas
Membership: Gerri Romanelli
Newsletter: carol jean smetana
Publicity: Samantha Chmelik
Special Projects: Jerry Gaydusek
Webmaster: carol jean smetana
Officers of Friends of BNC
from the editor’s laptop
Violet Dvorak – Oakdale, MN
Jan Kocek – Palos Heights, IL
Peter Maher – Chicago, IL
Dawn Pelc – St. John, IN
Lillian Peska – Park Ridge, IL
Carol & Rich Sandowski – Glen Ellyn, IL
Gloria Skomasa – Park Ridge, IL
Janet A. Smart – Grayslake, IL
Mr. & Mrs. George Zahrobsky – Glen Ellyn, IL
Donna Zimmerman – Chicago, IL
Page 3 Summer Issue - Vol. 9 No. 1
from BNCA met Czech
Brigadier General Premysl
Skacha who was in town for the
NATO Summit. He had come to
preview locations for the Czech
Minister of Defense, Dr.
Alexandr Vondra, who arrived
early on May 20th with his
entourage for a tour and to place
a wreath at the World Wars I and
II Memorial. Friends provided our
honored guests with gift bags,
which included a copy of our
crematorium/columbarium booklet,
a map and guide brochure of the
cemetery in Czech, a membership
brochure and a Mother Monument
magnet.
A number of Friends members
were at the cemetery on May 25th
to place the 1440 flags donated to
us by CIT Rail employees. These
wonderful people have only one
member, Amy Michalec, with any
historical tie to BNC. In 2011, the
CIT employees, wanting to help
place flags somewhere for
Memorial Day, read about our
plans on our webpage and came to
help. Seeing how tattered the flags
were, they collected funds to buy
us new ones for 2012. Two big
boxes arrived at BNC in early May.
About 15 CIT Rail employees, plus
the entire Michalec family including
their two children came to do the
placement. What a gift and
wonderful support of the broader
Chicago community. Thanks, too,
to the Friends members who also
helped.
We had more Czech visitors
on Memorial Day, four members of
the Czech Parliament’s
Committee for European
Affairs plus a staff member. After
the ceremony they placed a wreath
at the Civil War Veterans
Monument and enjoyed a short
tour of the cemetery.
Our two tours on June 2nd
were also most memorable for 115
total attendees and a very well-
received book table. Now we look
forward to the Czechoslovak
American Congress picnic on
Sunday, July 29th, at Kiwanis
Park, 8820 Brookfield Avenue,
Brookfield, from 11 am to 5
pm. Please join us - we can always
use help at our sales table (bring
your folding chair) or just stop by
to say hello!
Hope to see you all at our
August meeting (see back page)
to find out just what those tree
monuments can tell us about our
ancestors.
Have a wonderful summer, and
if you are in Illinois, enjoy the most
mosquito-free early summer I can
ever remember!!
Marge Sladek Stueckemann
President
(continued from first page)
What’s New with Friends of BNC
The Significance of Restoring the Past for the Future
photograph by Kathy Mallin
After attending our Under the Dome open house on May 20th, Jim Smick of
Attica, Indiana, wrote a letter of appreciation to Friends that captures the
essence of our Ceremony Hall Art Restoration project.
The restoration work that has been accomplished really
tantalizes one into visualizing the entire interior completed,
including the ceiling murals that must have been in the entrance
hall. What a fantastic legacy for Chicago and our Country!
Every time I have been in the cemetery and, especially, the
Columbarium, I have always had a sense of being suspended in
time, very close in spirit to those to whom I am related but
some only known to me through association, stories, and
genealogy. It has always made me feel a part of something very
great spiritually—and I treasure the many hours I have spent at
Bohemian National in private meditation. I can see the interior
work being done will not just enhance the already beautiful
setting, but it will allow future generations the possibility to
share in what we are all fortunate to have presently.
Page 4 Heritage Happenings
Donations
Thank you all for your
generosity.
Your donations help
preserve and enhance
Bohemian National
Cemetery.
March 2012 through June 2012 Benefactors ($1000 and above)
Violet Dvorak and Estate
of Blanche Dvorak
Rose Sebek Spachman
Slaninka
Patrons ($500—$999)
CSA Fraternal Life
Art and Kathryn Lorenz
Brad Suster and Hector
Hernandez
Sponsors ($100—$499)
Joseph and Dawn Calek
Regas Chefas
Carol May
Charles Michalek
Tom Panush in memory of
Dorothy Becva Panush
and her 23 relatives
who are spending
eternity together at
BNC
Paul and Angie Pirok
Beverly Rehm
Apostol and Sharon
Triffon
Albert Walavich
Roland Weis
Donors ($25—$99)
Kathy Babcock
Norman and Barbara
Hurd
Paul and Susan Kucera
McDonalds Corporation
Northbrook Firefighters
Local 1894 in memory
of Josephine Simak
Henrietta Bartizal Pons in
honor of Carol Jean
Smetana
Shirley Stegner in memory
of Paul Fierla, Johanna
Tsolke Fierla, Adeline
Fierla Stiska and Paul
Fierla
Thank You ($1—$24) Jane Brown Pat Salvino Janet Smart
Kartsonas discovered that Mallin
used high-quality materials such as
pure 24-carat gold leaf to gild his
decorations. The columns display
Mallin’s high level of expertise: they
are fine examples of Marezzo scagliola,
also called American scagliola because
of its widespread use in the U.S.
during the late nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries. Scagliola, a labor-
intensive technique that makes stucco
look like marble, requires
extraordinary skill.
Our unique Ceremony Hall is not
only valuable as a fine example of
Mallin’s ornamental art but also as a
testament to the Bohemian
community which founded and
supported the cemetery. Mallin
decorated the hall with symbols of
fraternal and patriotic associations,
some of which no longer exist, whose
support was integral to the success of
the cemetery, providing a unique
retrospective commemoration of
those historical organizations.
The estimated cost of cleaning,
restoring and preserving the entire
Ceremony Hall is $300,000. To date
our Restoring the Past for the Future
campaign has raised more than
$70,000 for this five-year project.
(Continued from page 1)
Phase One is Done !
Restoring the Past for the Future Campaign Your response to our Restoring the Past for the Future fundraising campaign for the Ceremony Hall Artwork Restoration project
has been overwhelming. The support of all our members and friends has enabled us to complete Phase One and begin to lay the
groundwork for the next stage.
We gratefully acknowledge for their remarkable generosity:
Dr. & Mrs. Joseph Ceithaml
CSA Fraternal Life Violet Dvorak and Estate of
Blanche Dvorak
Robert Kubicka
Art & Kathryn Lorenz
Judy Lovaas
Paul and Angie Pirok
Henrietta Bartizal Pons
Rose Sebek Spachman Slaninka
Marge Sladek Stueckemann
Brad Suster and Hector Hernandez
Joseph and Linda Svehla
You are leading the way to making this restoration possible! Thank you!
Upcoming
Events at
Bohemian
National
Cemetery
Sunday, August 19th, 1:30 pm ~ Friends Summer Meeting
“Trees That Talk: Conversing with Our Ancestors
Through Limestone Trees”
presented by Samantha Chmelik
Ceremony Hall in the crematorium/columbarium.
Program is free and all are welcome. Refreshments will be available.
Sunday, September 30th at 1:00 pm ~ Tour of the Tombstones
guided by Albert Walavich
Two-hour walking tour begins at the gatehouse.
Cost: $10 for Friends members, $15 for non-members
Page 5 Summer Issue - Vol. 9 No. 1
Send order form and check or credit card
information to:
Juli Nelson
300 Claymoor #2F
Hinsdale, IL 60521-5076
Ship to: ________________________________ Address: ____________________________________
City: _______________________________________ State: ____________ Zip + 4 _______________
__ Heritage books x $25 = $ ____+ shipping $ ____ = $ ______ Total check/credit card amount: $ ______
For credit card payment (Visa, Master Card, Discover, American
Express), include:
Card number ___________________________________________
Expiration date ____________________________
Security code _____________________________
Signature ______________________________________________
Friends of Bohemian National Cemetery announces the publication of
This 192-page softcover book includes an in-depth look at the cemetery’s
early years; the history of its monuments and buildings; biographical sketches
of Czech and Slovak community leaders; an exploration of some of the
fascinating and unusual gravestones found at BNC; and accounts of historical
events that impact the cemetery to this day. The book, profusely illustrated
with color photographs, was designed and edited by our newsletter editor,
carol jean smetana.
Friends of Bohemian National Cemetery gratefully acknowledges a
matching grant from the Department for Cultural Relations and Czechs Living
Abroad of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic in support of
the printing of A Dear and Precious Heritage.
Special price for members: $25 plus $5 shipping for each book.
AVAILABLE NOW!
A Dear and Precious Heritage: Bohemian National Cemetery
Chicago, Illinois
Page 6 Heritage Happenings
Friends of BNC President Marge Stueckemann and Friends member Chuck Michalek greeted Czech Television
correspondent Michal Kubal to Bohemian National Cemetery on April 13th. Mr. Kubal, along with his cameraman, had
first visited the site at the Chicago River where the Eastland capsized in 1915, resulting in 844 deaths. In his coverage
of the Eastland, Mr. Kubal also filmed in the sections at BNC where 143 Eastland victims are buried.
At the time of correspondent Kubal’s filming, the world was commemorating the centennial anniversary of the
April 15, 1912, sinking of the Titanic. Previous Czech news coverage had depicted the Eastland tragedy as the “Czech
Titanic” or “Titanik II” due to the large number of Czechs and Slovaks involved in the disaster. Included in the current
filming was an interview with Christine Harmon standing next to the Sindelar family monument in Section 16. Ms.
Harmon is a descendant of the Sindelar family, which tragically suffered the drowning of Mr. and Mrs. Sindelar and
their five children.
If you are interested in viewing the Czech TV coverage, it may still be available at: 1) http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/ivysilani/1097181328-udalosti/212411000100415/obsah/198923-od-potopeni-
titaniku-uplynulo-100-let/. Watch the news intro and the Eastland piece will quickly appear. 2) www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/10117034229-168hodin/. Click Videoarchiv, next click 15-4-2012, then click
Titanik II.
A planning committee is currently meeting to develop a monument dedicated to the Eastland at BNC. If you are
interested in learning about or assisting with the Eastland Centennial Commemorative Project, please contact Chuck
Michalek, [email protected].
Eastland Tragedy Brings Czech TV Correspondent to BNC
by Chuck Michalek
Grateful thanks to Henrietta Bartizal Pons for her great support and excellent work as our Membership Chair for so many years.
Welcome to Gerri Romanelli, our new Membership Chair, and to Jerry Gaydusek who will be Special Projects Chair.
Under the Dome:
Andy Bultas, host
Helen and Jerry Gaydusek, hosts, plus
generous donors of refreshments
Barbara Hoffman, hostess
Art & Kathryn Lorenz, hosts,
refreshments
Juli Nelson, check-in
Lili Nemec, hostess, refreshments
Gerri Romanelli, hostess
Helene Schaeffer and Helen Souta,
refreshments
Glen Spachman, host
Donation of 1440 American flags for Memorial
Day decoration:
CIT Rail employees, organized by Sheila
Kowalski
Placement of flags for Memorial Day ~
CIT Rail volunteers:
Rachel Anderson
Nory Drammoh
Laura Felix
Andrew Felix
Marlo & Claire Gracek
Jeff Haden
Kimberly Helin
Sheila Kowalski
Mel Kusta
Amy, John, Wendy & Daniel Michalec
John O’Toole
Fred & Ellen Ranck
Friends volunteers:
Al and Mary Avery
Ray Brabec
John Jacobs
Art & Kathryn Lorenz
Henrietta Bartizal Pons
Marge Sladek Stueckemann
Memorial Day:
Martha and Chuck Cervenka, who
bought, set up and served refreshments
for Memorial Day, as well as buying the
flowers.
Art and Kathryn Lorenz
Mary Syrup, refreshments
June 2nd Walking Tours:
Gloria Adamek, book table
Art Lorenz, book table
The work on the north gatehouse
is completed. The walls and ceilings
have been painted. A new ceiling in
the men’s washroom has been
installed. Both washroom ceilings
have been painted. Many people who
attended the Mothers Day program
Sunday May 13th and were enjoying
the refreshments provided,
commented on how beautiful the
gatehouse looked.
The installation of the granite
panels on the Masaryk Memorial
Mausoleum has been completed by
Cornel Dobrovsky. The mausoleum
looks very good.
The cemetery has been fortunate
this year to have two young
volunteers, Steve Ziolkowski and
Dave Pimm, Jr., join the old-time
volunteers in helping to make the
cemetery better.
Over the past couple of months,
Dave, Cornel, Duro, and John Ilse
have done a lot of work repairing the
old sewer lines from the bungalows
and the crematorium/columbarium,
flushing them out and installing some
new sections where needed.
The storm that occurred in the
first week of May created some leaks
in the roof of the crematorium/
columbarium building, causing some
plaster to flake and in some places
fall from the Ceremony Hall dome. In
order to assess the problem, a lift
capable of rising 120 feet will have to
be brought to the cemetery so
workers can get a close look at the
tiled roof of the dome.
The storm also blew a lot of
debris into the lagoon, blocking the
drainage line to the river. John Illse
and Dave Pimm, Jr., removed debris
and a log from the drain pipe, and the
lagoon began to flow freely again.
John built a fence around the
drainage area to prevent this from
occurring again.
Steve Ziolkowski started
volunteer work at Bohemian National
Cemetery on May 1, 2012. He comes
by train from Bolingbrook, Illinois.
His first volunteer job was power-
washing the white wall on Pulaski
Road. Steve has worked five to six
days a week since May 1st, including
working long hours on the Friday and
Saturday before Memorial Day
installing the fuel pump on the
cemetery’s dump truck. He has also
laid sod and leveled and placed
monuments.
John Ilse, with Steve’s help, was
able to get the shut off valve in the pit
across from the pump house to work.
They also worked together on the
water tower.
Enough about the work that has
been done around the cemetery.
There have been many people who
have come to visit our beautiful
cemetery and have found it very
historical and interesting.
The morning of May 20th the
Czech Minister of Defense
Alexandr Vondra and Czech
General Premysl Skacha, in
Chicago for the NATO conference,
were given a tour of Bohemian
National Cemetery.
The afternoon of May 20th
Friends of Bohemian National
Cemetery held its “Under the Dome”
fundraiser event in the Ceremony
Hall, unveiling the completed
restoration work to the public. Tony
Kartsonas spoke and related what
was done to restore the 20-foot-wide
area. Over 100 people attended the
event.
The cemetery’s Memorial Day
program, assembled by BNCA Vice-
President Bill Hudecek, was
outstanding this year. The English
speaker was Wayne Wolf, the Czech
speakers were Angie Bultas, Jan
Bauer, Chairman of the Committee
on European Affairs, Jan Kubata,
Member of the Committee on
European Affairs, and Dana
Hunatová, Consul General of the
Czech Republic. Also attending the
ceremony were the rest of the
delegation of the Committee for
European Affairs: František
Novosad, Vice-Chairman of the
Committee for European Affairs,
Josef Šenfeld, committee member,
and Lenka Mozgová, clerk of the
committee. The Czech delegation
participated in all the Memorial Day
activities, enjoying refreshments in
the gatehouse with everyone and
marching to the crematorium/
columbarium for the service in the
Ceremony Hall. They then laid a
wreath at the Civil War Veterans
Monument. The Odd Fellows held
their services at their monument after
the services in the Ceremony Hall.
Many people from around our
country and from Europe visit
Bohemian National Cemetery. They
find our cemetery grounds, our
monuments and our buildings
interesting. I encourage everyone to
come and visit and see for themselves
our beautiful cemetery.
Andy Bultas
Vice-President
Page 7 Summer Issue - Vol. 9 No. 1
Live from BNC
Friends of Bohemian
National Cemetery
611 Harvard Lane
Libertyville, IL 60048
Phone: 847-362-9036 Email: [email protected]
Heritage Happenings
we’re on the web www.friendsofbnc.org
“Trees That Talk ~ Conversing With Our Ancestors Through
Limestone Trees”
Sunday, August 19, 2012, at 1:30 pm.
Join us in the Ceremony Hall in the crematorium/columbarium building at
Bohemian National Cemetery for Friends’ annual summer program.
Samantha Chmelik, Master’s Candidate in Public History at Loyola
University Chicago, will discuss how we can interpret the symbols our
ancestors used in their limestone tree grave markers.
We will also elect our officers and directors. Current officeholders are
willing to serve another term: President - Marge Sladek Stueckemann;
Vice-President - Andrew Bultas; Secretary - Helen Gaydusek; Treasurer
- Juli Nelson; Directors - Martha Cervenka, Chuck Cervenka, Evelyn
Krenek Fergle. Nominations may also be made from the floor.
The meeting is free, the meeting place breezy, and cold water and other
refreshments will be available. For more information, check our website
www.friendsofbnc.org, or call 847-362-9036.